For those who first travel to Vietnam, choosing a list of Vietnamese food they should try can be too difficult. Therefore, I want to share my experiences and knowledge about Vietnamese cuisine with you. Below here are 10 top Vietnamese dishes that we recommend
1. Banh Xeo - Vietnamese Rice Crepe
This traditional dish is a Vietnamese version of the French crepe. The wrapper is made of Rice flour mixture and turmeric flour, and the filling is pork, shrimp, and bean sprout.
Banh Xeo is often served with various herbs, salads, and sweet fish sauce. The side of Banh Xeo in the South is much bigger than it’s in the Central. Local people often gather and eat Banh Xeo on rainy days.
I think you should also try this feeling if possible (Actually, on a sunny day, eating Banh Xeo is still delicious, but on rainy days the taste of deliciousness will double)
Try this dish at 179C2 Dong Den Street, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City.
2. Com Tam - Broken Rice
Vietnamese Broken Rice is one of the most common dishes in South Vietnam. In Saigon, people often eat a plate of broken rice before working in the morning, but you can enjoy this dish any time of the day.
It is usually served with Vietnamese pork chops, sliced cucumber, tomato, pickled vegetables, and Vietnamese dipping sauce
Although not noticed, such as Pho, bun cha, and fish ball, this Vietnamese rice dish is actively shared by travel bloggers as an exciting experience when discovering Saigon. If you’re craving a cheap yet satisfying meal, be sure to check out this spot.
Try this dish at: Com Tam Tran Quy Cap - 260 Vo Van Tan, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
3. Banh Mi - Vietnamese Bread
Foreign newspapers such as The Guardian, National Geographic, BBC, or Tripadvisor have spared no expense praising Banh Mi, one of the most famous Vietnamese dishes. The US travel site Fodor’s Travel 2016 presented 20 of the world’s best street foods, of which Vietnamese bread tops this list.
Banh mi has various recipes depending on each person’s taste, but the most common is grilled pork, cucumber, raw vegetables, pickles, paste, and sauce.
Unlike Pho, Banh Mi originates from the southern part of Vietnam. Although bakeries appear everywhere, you can only find the best Vietnamese bakeries in Hoi An Ancient Town. Try this dish at the following two addresses.
Banh Mi Phuong
Address: 2B Phan Chu Trinh Street, Hoi An Town
Banh Mi Madam Khanh
Address: 115 Tran Cao Van, Hoi An Town
4. Bun Bo Hue
Bun Bo Hue is another good Vietnamese dish known widely for its exquisite and unique taste. As its name suggests, this is a typical dish when talking about Hue City.
Ingredients of this dish include thin slices of marinated and boiled beef shank with broth with red and spicy characteristics. Served with Hue beef noodle soup are chili sauce, lemon, cilantro, sliced scallions, sliced banana flowers, red cabbage, sliced raw onions, and green bean sprouts.
You can enjoy Beef Soup of Hue in many places all over Vietnam, but in my opinion, eating Bun Bo Hue in Hue city will still give you a great and original taste. Please visit the O Phung beef noodle shop (14 Nguyen Du, Hue City) to discover the rich flavor of this dish!
5. Pho
If you are backpacking in Vietnam without trying a bowl of Pho, you will never come to this country. It is one of the most popular Vietnamese dishes, and almost every city in Vietnam sells this dish; Pho has been voted by CNN, BBC, and Business Insider many times as the best food in Asia.
To enjoy the taste of Pho, visitors should come to some famous pho restaurants in Hanoi such as Pho Bat Dan, Pho Thin, and Ly Quoc Su Pho. These pho restaurants certainly will bring the most satisfying feeling for all tourists, even the most demanding ones.
6. Quang Noodles
It is a dish originating from Quang Nam province but is loved by Vietnamese people all over the country because of its “Eating is remembering” flavor. The main ingredients of a bowl of Quang noodles include rice noodles, chicken, pork, shrimp, eggs, and many raw vegetables, and when you eat it, you will eat it with grilled rice paper.
Unlike Bun Bo Hue and Pho, the broth used for Quang noodles is very concentrated, and the seller will add very little water when pouring it into the bowl.
Because it is a specialty dish, you can easily find Quang noodle restaurants on the streets of Da Nang and Hoi An. Indeed, this dish will be a great culinary experience for you.
7. Bun Rieu - Tomato Crab Soup
The interplay between crab and tomato makes Bun Rieu a truly standout dish. Ingredients of this dish include a bun, fresh crab meat, blocks of tofu, and stewed tomatoes. Cooking an authentic bowl of Bun Rieu is a labor-intensive process and time.
Bun Rieu is a dish with great flavor, so many Vietnamese people love it. There are many Bun Rieu restaurants on the streets of Vietnam. So, please enjoy this dish when you have the opportunity and feel its unique flavor.
Try this dish at Bun Rieu Cua Thanh Hong, 42 Hoa Ma, Ngo Thi Nham, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi
8. Bun Cha
This dish originated from the Old Quarter of Hanoi and has been one of this city’s signature dishes. Instead of using sliced beef or chicken like beef noodle soup or chicken noodle soup. Vietnamese people eat Bun Cha with sweet-sour dipping sauce and grilled meatballs.
If you want to dine where Obama and Bourdain enjoyed bun cha, you should check out Bun Cha Huong Lien on 24 Le Van Huu, Hai Ba Trung District, Ha Noi City. Unlike Pho, this dish is not a breakfast dish.
9. Goi Cuon - Vietnamese Spring Roll
Fresh spring roll is a typical Vietnamese Street food in Ho Chi Minh City. Goi Cuon combines fresh ingredients such as boiled pork, peeled fresh shrimp, fresh vermicelli, and Vietnamese herbs. All of them are wrapped in rice paper (Banh Trang).
CNN Go ranked this street food 30th in the 50 best meals globally in 2011. Vietnamese people often use peanut sauce made from garlic, chili, and crushed peanuts to accompany this dish. The combination has made the Vietnamese fresh spring roll wonderfully unique.
10. Che - Vietnamese Sweet Dessert
Che would be the perfect end to your meal, especially if you’ve enjoyed a great dish like spring rolls. Che is a familiar dessert for most Vietnamese people. It combines beans, jelly, grains, coconut milk, and fruit and is served with ice in a bowl or glass.
Many street vendors and local markets in Vietnam sell Che, so you can always help yourself to a bowl or two each time you crave this nutritious and filling treat.
Above are just the ten most delicious dishes of Vietnamese cuisine; in addition, many other Vietnamese dishes are waiting for you to discover. And if you’ve tried them all, which is your favorite? Please comment and share with other readers.
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